I Will Be Your Slave
by Spiritus Scriptor
Summary: Toby is sent home after Sarah solves the labyrinth, but a simple mistake leaves her trapped there. Jareth takes the opportunity to reveal his true intentions to her, and leaves her with a choice. But will he keep his promises?
1. Trapped

**This wonderful brain fart of a story popped into my head last night after I decided to watch Labyrinth for some unfathomable reason. I hadn't seen it in years, and this time around I realized that Jareth's motives are...well, what are they, exactly? So I decided to make him a bit more of a creeper than in the movie, and you'll see where that leads. I hope. **

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><p>"My kingdom is great…my kingdom is…damn, I can never remember that line…"<p>

"Sarah," the soft, hypnotic voice of the Goblin King commanded. Here in this otherworldly realm, nothing mattered anymore. Nothing except getting back home.

"Where is the child?" she heard herself asking automatically. It had been her quest, after all, to get him back. "Where is my brother?"

"He is back home, safe and sound. As I promised. You've won him back." The Goblin King deftly held the crystal ball in his fingertips. She could see the faint image of her brother playing in his crib. She took a step closer, and another. She had to see for herself that he was truly all right. Impulsively, she lifted the orb from the King's outstretched hand just as the clock began to strike.

"Oh, no…" she whispered, realizing what she had just done. Throwing the glass sphere to the floor, she found that it did not shatter. Of course it didn't. Jareth had thrown one and it had bounced.

"Your fate, however, is now an entirely different matter," her unwanted companion smirked. Foolishly, she retrieved the crystal, held it in both hands, and closed her eyes. This crystal, he'd said, contained her dreams. Her only dream now was to be home. After a moment, she opened one eye to see the King staring at her condescendingly, a sneer forming on his lips. "And what did you think you were going to do with that?" he asked with a sinister chuckle. "_Wish_ yourself away?"

She opened both her eyes and stared defiantly back at him. "As a matter of fact…"

"It can't be done," he finished for her. "You've sealed your fate by taking the crystal."

"Undo it, then!" she demanded petulantly. "You can do anything…can't you?"

"No! I'm finished doing things for you, Sarah!" he barked as he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back into reality—_his _reality—as easily as if they were passing through a curtain. "Now the time has come for _you_ to do something for _me_."

"What do you want of me?" she asked, her voice hitching. It took every ounce of willpower she had left not to burst into tears.

The King took notice of her distress and lifted her chin so that her watery gaze met his stern one. "Come now, there's no need to be like that. As long as you obey me I promise no harm shall come to you." She would not listen, and jerked her chin from his grasp. At long last, he sighed and laid a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing more to be done. You're stuck here and that's that. You may as well accept it."

She turned away from him as a single tear fell from her eye. "Never."

"Have you learned nothing from your time here?" he wondered. "I am _trying_ to offer you comfort. But if you keep refusing me, I will have no choice but to become your enemy. And if that happens, there is no safe place anywhere in the city or in the labyrinth for you. Not even in an oubliette. I know what you are thinking, Sarah. Do not test me."

She nodded and allowed him to take her hand and lead her away from the maze of endless stairs. She would let him believe that he had her…for now.

But she would need to find another way out.

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><p>"Here we are," he swung open the heavy wooden door to reveal a cozy, well-lit cavernous room with purple stained glass windows and an enormous canopy bed with cloud-like white coverings. "This should suit you."<p>

"It does," Sarah said woodenly, her lines well-rehearsed. "Thank you."

"Shall I send for a meal to be brought?" Jareth asked.

Sarah gave it some consideration. She was ravenously hungry, but there _was_ that peach he had given her…She decided she would only eat when she absolutely couldn't stand the hunger anymore.

"The food will not hurt you." he assured her, as though reading her thoughts.

"All right," she agreed, after a moment's more consideration.

"And if you don't mind," he continued. "I'd like to speak with you later about something very important."

"Why would I mind?" she had to be very careful what she said from now on if she were ever to get out of here.

"Don't think I don't know you're planning on running away, Sarah." He sounded exasperated as he circled her and locked her gaze with his once more. "I'll always be two steps ahead of you." With a chuckle he retreated from the room, leaving Sarah alone with her thoughts.

The door closed behind him with a solid thud and for a good minute Sarah just stared at it, as if willing it to open for her. She did not notice that behind her, the room had changed from a warm, inviting space to a dank, musty old room that had been long abandoned. When at last she turned around and saw that she had been tricked, she merely sighed and sank down on an old rotting chest at the foot of the bed.

"Why am I not surprised?" she asked the thin air. She had gotten over being shocked by anything in this strange world. Now, she was just tired. The tears of despair she had been holding back burst forth. She didn't care if Jareth could see her somehow. She had nothing left to protect.

"Oh, dear." chided a familiar voice after an indeterminate amount of time had passed. "Are you not happy with your arrangement?"

Sarah looked up to find the room had changed back to a comfortable, well-lit one, complete with a roaring fire and a dining table set with a feast. The Goblin King sat as though waiting for her as he poured himself a glass of wine.

"Care to join me?" he asked nonchalantly. "There's another chair, you know."

"I can see that," she answered, matching his tone. Wiping her eyes before turning to him, she hoped to put on a brave face. "I will join you."

"Good," he purred, gesturing to the vacant chair. She sat down and he poured her a glass of wine, and motioned that she should take some food. There was a whole roasted chicken and potatoes and so much more she lost track. Her stomach audibly complained of its hunger, but she was still hesitant to take any. She didn't trust Jareth any further than she could throw him.

"I told you, it won't hurt you. You have my word." he promised, taking some food for himself.

Sarah followed suit, and once she had swallowed the first mouthful, asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I know you're young yet," Jareth smiled cunningly, "But I was wondering if, someday, you might agree to have me."

"Have you? You mean…_marry_ you?"

"If it comes to that." he replied cunningly. "I do not wish to lie to you, Sarah. I've had others before. I am as old as time itself. But it has been a long time since the last, and I've gotten rather lonely."

"Do you mean to tell me you selected me, specifically?"

"Yes. The child, you see…well, that just made it all the more easy for me. I played the part you wanted me to play, Sarah. I was the villain you had envisioned. But I can be more, much more, if only you say the word. I selected you because you're strong, my dear. Stronger than any others I've seen in a while."

"Can I ask you something?" Sarah asked boldly.

"Of course," he said, however, his posture changed suddenly from relaxed to tense.

"How long were you watching me?"

"Oh, not too long. Perhaps a year." he smirked.

"A _year_?"

"Oh, don't look so shocked. I didn't watch you _that _closely." he chortled. "Just enough to know that you were well worth my time. If I may admit something to you, I'm getting rather tired of playing the villain. If you will allow me to show you my true self, will you show me yours as well? I promise, Sarah, I really did not mean you any harm. I simply…well, I simply wanted to get you here."

"And you couldn't think of a better way than _that_?" she accused, her hunger quite forgotten.

"And how do you propose I should have done it? Whisk you away in the dead of the night without any sort of introduction? I realize the one we had was less than ideal, but at least it was something."

"I'll say it was something," she replied. She almost laughed at the absurdity of this conversation, but caught herself just in time.

"Do me one small favor," he said. "And consider it. Sleep on it tonight—the room will be just the same when you wake—and tomorrow, if it's your decision, I will send you home."

"Thank you."

"Good night, then, Sarah." he smiled, and then disappeared.

"Good night…Jareth."

All hope was not lost, though she didn't really trust him to honor his word. There was the slightest of possibilities that she might still get home after all. It was only a simple matter of playing her cards right.

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><p><strong>So...that's that, then. Review and we shall see whether or not I should continue this farce of a story. Also, I'm not sure what I should rate it. It could get pretty dark depending on where I decide to take it. <strong>


	2. Getting to know you

**An update already! I'm on a roll! **

**And yes, Jareth gets massively OOC in this chapter. I found it difficult to give him a backstory while keeping him the arrogant Goblin King we all know and love. Believe me, I tried. **

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><p>The next morning, Sarah awoke to find that everything was indeed the same as when she had fallen asleep. The only reason she knew it was morning was from the faint glow of sunlight coming in through the thick purple glass, casting an odd pall of faded color across the room. <em>Why is there sunlight in the Underground, anyway?<em> she wondered briefly. For a few moments she was content to just lie in bed and stare up at the light dancing on the canopy above her. For those few moments, she almost forgot where she was…and why she was here.

But then she saw something out of the corner of her eye, glinting in the light. A cream-colored gown lay carefully placed across a chair. Sarah got up to examine it. It was beautiful, with delicate silver embroidery and little diamond-shaped mirrors sewn into the sleeves. It was something like what she'd imagined her wedding dress to look like, someday…

"Ugh!" she cried, flinging the dress to the floor. "You won't win me over that easily, Jareth!" she shouted. "I know you!"

"Do you really?" crooned his voice from behind her. "Now that _is_ something."

Sarah whirled around to face him, her face red with rage and embarrassment. "Stop that! What if I _had_ been changing?"

"Then I must say I would have gotten quite a show," he replied with a smile, striding over and lifting her chin as though to examine her. "And I must say, be sorely disappointed on our wedding night."

She pushed his hand away. "You're disgusting." she spat.

"I try to show a modicum of dignity and morality, and you call me disgusting? There really is no pleasing you, is there?"

"What would please me," she challenged, advancing on him, for she would not fear him any longer. "Is if you would leave me alone!"

"Keep your temper, my dear." He looked almost…defeated. "I will do as you wish."

And with those words, she was left alone again to ponder her fate.

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><p>Sarah was tired of being in the same room all day. She'd tried to venture out a few times, but every time she did, the passageway seemed to have changed direction. Not wanting to get lost or—heaven forbid—have to run the labyrinth again, she stayed where she was until she could stand it no longer.<p>

"Goblin King! I know you can hear me!" she called. "I'm ready to talk!"

"There's no need to shout." he replied, pushing the door open as if he had been waiting just outside all this time. Perhaps he had, since the last time she opened it. The thought of constantly being watched sent shivers down her spine. "Have you made a decision?"

"Not quite yet," she said, biding her time. "I figured, before I make the final call, I'd like to know more about you. All you've told me is that 'you're as old as time itself'. Which, you'll forgive me for saying, isn't really much. If I'm going to stay, I'd like to get to know you."

"Well…" Jareth considered. "At least you're warming up to me."

"Maybe. What I'd really like to know, if it's not too insulting, is…well, what are you? You're the Goblin King, but you're obviously not a goblin, and you're not human either."

"I'm a mixture of things," he said, a hint of sadness showing through his usually haughty tone. But she would not feel sorry for him, not yet. "Mine is not a happy story. How do you think I ended up as king of the goblins? By my own choice?" He gazed at her with an unreadable expression. "No, my dear. I was banished here." The disdain was back in his voice now, but it was not arrogance. It was hatred.

"You said you'd show me your true self." His young companion urged. "But if it's too much…"

"No." he said with a sigh. "I did promise, didn't I? Well…" There was a long pause as he sat down and rested his chin on the back of one hand as if deep in thought. As he did the night before, he gestured for her to take a seat in the unoccupied chair across from him. "Where shall I begin?"

"Anywhere." she prompted.

"My mother was a nereid. They're cousins to sirens, but where sirens are deadly, nereids can be helpful. Well, she aided my father. But he wanted...something more. She was no match for him. He let her live, but he…saddled her with me. After I was born, she did not want me, of course. Why would she? So she took me to him. I was raised in his household—purely obligatory, you understand—until _he_ decided I was of age. And then he sent me here, never to return."

"What was your father?" Sarah asked, fully expecting him not to answer.

"My father's name was Dagon."—here Jareth broke off and pinched the bridge of his nose, turning away from her towards the flames in the fireplace as though he could see them through closed eyes— "Sarah, before I continue, you must understand. I am more ashamed of my roots than you can possibly imagine. And I am not my father."

Sarah merely nodded in reply.

"He was a dokkalfar—dark elf." he translated. "As you can guess, they're not known for being particularly…good. Which, I suppose, explains me quite a bit, doesn't it?"

She didn't know what to say. Should she believe him? Feel sorry for him? What? Deciding it was best to follow along, if he was going to play at being vulnerable, she would play at being comforting. "I understand. You don't have to go on…unless you want to." Cautiously, she extended her hand to him, and he took it. She enclosed his hand in both of hers, and he jolted as though it were something he'd never experienced before. Which he probably hadn't, if he were telling the truth.

"I have tried, all my life, not to be like him. But as his son, I inherited some of his powers. When I told you I could be cruel, I meant it. I am capable of terrible things."

"Yet somehow you've managed to grow a conscience," she added glibly, and then wished she hadn't. He pulled his hand from hers and cast a dark look.

"I suspect whatever good that's in me came from my mother," he growled. "I never knew her. When she took me to my father, he had her killed." His explanation was short and to the point, though Sarah could see even saying that much opened up old wounds. Maybe it _was_ true. Or he was an exceptionally gifted actor.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. And she genuinely was. It was a tragic tale that he told her. "I know what it's like."

"Do you?" The supercilious tone was back.

"My mother…didn't love us. Me or my father. She left us."

"And yet, you idolize her. She was an actress. Like you hope to be." So he wasn't bluffing when he said that he knew her dreams. This one, however, was a common enough dream that he could have merely guessed at even if he hadn't been watching her for a year. She'd probably grow out of it soon enough, anyway. When had she begun doubting herself—and everything else, for that matter—so much? She knew, though she didn't want to say, that it was the moment she stepped into the labyrinth. Things were not always what they seemed. And the same applied to people, she was learning. "Tell me, Sarah. Why do you want to be like a woman who hated you?"

"I didn't say she hated us. She just…didn't love us. There's a difference."

"Between hatred and indifference? Yes. But she left. She was more than indifferent, Sarah. She left you for the same reason my mother gave me away, for the same reason my father banished me. She despised you. She wanted nothing to do with you." His voice was calm. He had the upper hand again, and he knew it. He was merely slipping back into his role.

She would not let him win. He would not have her in his back pocket just like that. "Stop twisting my words, Goblin King, or I'll make my decision to leave right now!"

"All right! I'll stop!" Was that—frustration? Had he actually erred? No. Impossible. The Goblin King never faltered. But Jareth could. Jareth could be exhausted, that she knew already, and he could be cornered. But she was discovering that he was just as imperfect as any human. He could feel pain, and anger, and regret…and loneliness. Longing. It had been Jareth speaking to her all along, not the Goblin King.

For now, she would believe him.

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><p><strong>My knowledge of mythology is kind of spotty, but I figured that was a good combination of things to sum up Jareth. Helpful, but not always with the best intentions. Or actions. <strong>

**Didn't put this at the top because spoilers, but I wanted to write him as actually having an honest moment with Sarah, whether or not she chooses to believe him. And having him bare his soul to her a bit does kind of take him out of character.**

**Review?**


	3. Imprisoned

**Happy birthday to David Bowie! **

**Also, here's a new chapter. The end gets kind of...um...suggestive. I might up the rating to M after all. **

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><p>"Now, Sarah," the Goblin King said abruptly. "I've told you what you wanted to know. In fact, I've told you <em>more<em> than you wanted to know. You know who I am now. Is that not enough for you to consider staying?"

"No."

"_No?"_

"That's what I said," Sarah looked at him, bemused. She thought he was being genuine…how could she let him fool her so easily?"

"Why ever not?"

"Because background and character are two different things!"

"Oh, you've seen my character. I daresay you don't like it very much." He got up and strode about the room. "In fact, you don't care for me at all, do you? You don't appreciate anything I've done for you! I am offering you a _fantasy_ to live in, Sarah. Isn't that what you've always wanted? To dress up in beautiful gowns and wander in sumptuous gardens and find a handsome prince?" he chuckled darkly. This whole tirade was accompanied by dramatic gestures and glances that ranged from enraged to wistful.

"Maybe that's what I wanted once," she explained hesitantly. "But I learned things in the labyrinth. What I thought were the most important things in the world really weren't important at all." _It's all junk!_ she had cried as the strange trash woman piled more and more things into her arms.

"I see," Jareth mused. "Well, then. I dare not keep you from what you really want. You want to go home. You are sure?"

"Yes," she said. "I am sure."

Without a word from him, Sarah felt the space around her changing, shifting. There was a horrible feeling, just for a flicker of an instant, that she would be turned inside out. And when she opened her eyes—

She was in an oubliette.

Damn it.

"Jareth!" she screamed, pushing against the wall in a vain attempt at finding a door. "You dirty liar! You said you would send me home!"

"I said nothing of the sort."

"You said it yesterday," she argued, rolling her eyes and turning to face the Goblin King who was so eager to weasel his way out of things. She was getting tired of playing mind games with him and having him pop up everywhere.

"I suppose…but a lot has happened since then."

"Like what?"

"Well, you see…"— here he paused to examine an invisible speck of something on his cuff—"There's a bit of an issue that I must have forgotten to mention. One forgets so many things when dealing with such an errant girl like you." he accused, jabbing her in the chest with his riding crop. His demeanor changed suddenly to mock thoughtfulness. "Now what was it that I forgot to tell you? Oh, yes. If you go back now, you will find the world greatly changed. Two hundred years have passed just in the time it took us to have that _stimulating_ conversation regarding my heritage."

"That's ridiculous—that's _impossible_."

"I assure you, it isn't. Do you remember when I said I had reordered time? I had it planned so that, should you manage to get through the labyrinth, you would return home at precisely midnight on October the fourth, nineteen eighty-six. The moment you considered staying here was the moment I lost control of the labyrinth's time span. I can only slow it down for so long—a mere thirteen hours." Jareth produced a crystal from thin air and gazed into it. "Ah. It appears, though, that you still have living relatives. Your little brother's great-great-great-_ great_ grandchildren. I could send you to them, if you'd like. Although I doubt they'll believe you when you tell them who you are. Toby remembered his sister in name only—he was so _young _when she disappeared." he hissed, giving her a falsely sympathetic stare laced with accusation.

Sarah didn't know whether to cry or be angry, so she decided on both. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as she flew at the Goblin King and beat her fists against him. He did nothing to stop her. "You _monster_!" she screeched. "You evil, repulsive, manipulative…_thing!_ You're not a king at all! You're some _creature _who just snatches people away and…and…"

"And what?" he questioned, seemingly unfazed by the savage beating he had just received. He merely straightened his clothes and brushed off imaginary dust. "I am all that's left for you now. You'd best come to terms with that sooner or later."

The door swung shut behind him as he strode out, leaving Sarah all alone in the dark.

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><p>He knew how she would react. Why else would he have preemptively put his darling Sarah in an oubliette to be forgotten about until it would next convenience him? She had asked questions, and he had given her truthful answers. And because of that, she could never leave. None who had ever demanded to know who and what he was had ever left the Underground again. She was far from the first.<p>

He had not ceased to manipulate time, he had sped it up a bit—not that he would ever tell her. What was done was done. It had caused no damage; humans could not perceive great shifts in time. But everyone she ever knew was long dead. She did not belong there anymore. In fact, if she went back, she would die almost immediately—after all, who ever heard of a human living for two hundred and fourteen years? It didn't happen.

She didn't know how generous he was. He could have killed her for beating him. But he had not. He could leave her in that oubliette until she died. But he would not. If she would not love him of her own free will, then he would _make_ her love him. He would wipe her memory clean, so that in her eyes, he was her past, present, and future. He would create for her an inescapable dream world, much more intense than the one she had previously entered. It would become her reality, as it would his, and they would be united, once and for all.

A hasty solution, yes. But he _was_ impatient. Sarah puzzled him more than he cared to admit. The others had all broken more easily. No matter how resistant they were at the start, they hadn't held out near as long. Some had gone mad long before ever completing the labyrinth and had viewed him as their reward. But not Sarah. Oh, no. This little girl viewed him only as a rather unworthy adversary. He both admired and hated her for that.

And certainly none had ever pummeled him like she had. Who did she think she was, this little wretch who was both so annoying and so fascinating? His chest still ached from the force of her blows, though he knew he would not bruise. She was feisty, yes, and resilient. He liked that. But he did not want her to fight him.

She was also, he knew, very young. A thousand years Aboveground would pass before she aged even a decade here.

How much longer would he have to wait?

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><p>Sarah had no idea what time of day it was or how long she'd been in the oubliette. Hours seemed like days, and days seemed an eternity. One thing she could say, however, was that with her senses gone, her other senses had gotten more acute. She could hear things scratching in the darkness, and once, when she was finally exhausted from her frantic search for a hidden door and was finally falling asleep, she thought she heard voices. Whether they were voices of those who had been trapped here and possibly died or mere figments of her imagination, she could not say. But she knew she heard them.<p>

While she slept, she dreamed. She dreamed of horrible faceless creatures grabbing and tugging at her and pulling her forward, much like the hands that had pulled her down into the oubliette the first time. Was she being rescued? Was Jareth finally going to let her out of here? Had he been lying about the two hundred years? Even if she never got back home, she needed to get out of here, or she would certainly go mad. The creatures were getting more violent, pulling at her hair and ripping her clothes from her body until she stood, fully nude, in front of a tall blond figure who eyed her hungrily. He stepped forward with an animal lust and caressed her pale skin with gloved hands He gave her a kiss that was anything but chaste, and something like an electric shock went through her body. There was euphoria for the briefest of moments as she could practically hear her blood course through her veins, and then he vanished. Afterwards, there was only pain.

Sarah woke with a start, hitting her head on the low ceiling. And suddenly, she knew the dream was not hers.

It was his. And she wanted no part of it.

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><p><strong>I know the transition was kind of weird, but I was hoping for an abrupt, dreamlike feel with that scene. There will probably be a lot of "turning on a dime" moments in this story. <strong>

**Reviews please? It would make me very happy!**


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